Writing in a personal capacity to share views, information and resources for teachers, trade unionists and campaigners in London - and beyond!

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

London NUT Reps meeting: local victories achieved, now national action needed

A rainy Wednesday was never going to be the easiest time to
bring together NUT reps from across London, but tonight’s London Reps Meeting
certainly proved worthwhile.

The meeting started with reports from individual disputes,
starting with breaking news of an initial victory at STEM6 Free School in
Islington. From a position where the school’s management had originally sought
to refuse to even acknowledge the Union’s existence, the threat of strike
action had led today to an agreement to union recognition and for meaningful
negotiations to begin over teachers’ terms and conditions of employment.

Other reports included the solid strike action to oppose the
worsening of teachers’ conditions at National Autistic Society schools, action against
an unacceptable pay policy at Brampton Manor Primary in Bexley, the High Court
victory over academisation at Warren School, and successes over changes to pay
and appraisal policies both Lewisham and Greenwich.

Louise from Newham and James from Brent both spoke of the determination
of their school NUT groups to win pay policies in line with Union checklists –
but also how the confidence to take local action depended on teachers being
sure that their Union was firm in taking national action too.

Jane from Islington spoke of the pressures on many young
teachers to be able to afford to live in the capital and others stressed that
the NUT needed to act against the pay cuts being imposed through the enforced
increases in pension contributions. That’s one reason why, in my
campaign to be re-elected to the NUT National Executive, I am calling for the Union to campaign for a £2,000 increase on all pay points, as well as defending annual progression for
mainscale teachers. £2,000 still works out at only around a half of what many
teachers have had stolen from them through the combined effects of the pension
attacks and pay freeze. However, it is the kind of clear objective that we need
to offer to teachers – to help build an escalating campaign of strike action to
stop Gove’s attacks.

Kevin Courtney, the NUT DGS, spoke to reassure reps that the
NUT was determined to take action against Gove’s attacks and that the NUT
Executive would be meeting to consider plans for further action tomorrow. That was welcomed but, given the continuing delay in making firm strike announcements, the
mood from many of the reps who spoke was blunt. As one said, “Stop wasting time
and name a date for strike action!”

Leaflets were also distributed to build for a ‘LANAC in
London’ meeting on Monday 10 February. As the leaflets state, “Now
we need to build for action again - but not just for another isolated strike
day. If we are to stop Gove, LANAC believes we need a clear calendar of
national action, escalating from one to two-day action - and warning Gove that
more could follow. LANAC also wants to make sure that, in the NUT elections
this year, we elect a leadership that will enact such a bold strategy”.

Martin Powell-Davies

* Brought up as a socialist by parents who hungered for what is right * One adopted grandfather left me a double-barrelled name, the other his name on a 1926 General Strike black-list * Joined the Labour Party as a teenager, left it when it abandoned the values and traditions of so many who built it in the past * Given a comprehensive education at St.Andrew's, Leatherhead * First-class degree from King's College, Cambridge, for those who like that kind of thing * Secondary science teacher in London 1986-2015 * Lewisham NUT Secretary 1993-2015, organiser of many campaigns to defend teachers and education * Living in Sydenham since 1997, father of four who were all so well-supported by Sedgehill School * Member of the NUT National Executive 2010-15 * NUT London Regional Secretary 2016 - * Proud to have been name-checked by Gove for saying that his 'reforms' could make teaching unbearable * Member of the CWI, following its global struggles via http://www.socialistworld.net * Candidate for TUSC in Lewisham West & Penge, 2015 * Member of Penge CC, often a 'Middle Aged Man In Lycra' on Sundays